By Gayla Cawley
Boston Herald
BOSTON — Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons stated the Boston Police Department ignored 167 federal immigration detainer requests final yr, not 57 as reported by town’s police commissioner, and that the requests included severe felony prices.
Lyons’ disclosure on Monday comes after final week’s 9-4 vote from the Boston City Council to dam a proper request from Councilor Ed Flynn that might have required the mayor to supply the Council with specifics on ICE detainer requests ignored by BPD since January 2024 , together with whether or not they pertained to “open criminal cases.”
According to Lyons, the entire detainer requests ignored by town final yr relate to unlawful immigrants going through felony prices.
“ICE lodged 167 immigration detainers against criminal illegal aliens in Boston police custody during 2025 — far more than the Boston Police Department is admitting to,” Lyons stated in a press release to the Herald. “Ironically, Commissioner Michael Cox says the police received’t honor our detainers as a result of they’re dedicated to constructing and strengthening relationships and belief with the neighborhood.
“But how does releasing criminal illegal aliens back into the communities they victimized build trust? It doesn’t,” Lyons added. “It shows Bostonians that local police leaders are so politically motivated that they would rather release criminals than work with ICE, which completely undermines public safety.”
Lyons supplied a listing of “some of the people Boston Police refused to turn over to us.”
The checklist consists of:
— Marlon Joel Rodriguez, 36, of Angola, who has pending prices for assault and battery on a household or family member and strangulation. He additionally has earlier arrests for assault and battery on a household or family member, working below the affect, and assault and battery.
— Philemond Gustave, 48, of Haiti, who has a pending cost for indecent assault and battery on an individual 14 years or older.
— Daniel Yoel Nova Cruz, 35, of the Dominican Republic, who has pending prices for felony assault, aggravated assault with a weapon and cruelty towards a toddler.
— Breno Serafim Almeida Ferreira, 31, of Brazil, who has pending prices for aggravated assault with a weapon.
— Carlos Arody Cuevas De La Cruz, 33, of the Dominican Republic, who has pending prices for assault with a knife and assault and battery. He additionally has earlier prices for possession to distribute a Class A managed substance and possession to distribute a Class B managed substance.
— Esmailyn De Los Santos Bernabel, 29, of the Dominican Republic, who has 4 convictions for possession with intent to distribute Class A medicine, two counts of distributing or dishing out Class A medicine, and distributing or dishing out Class B medicine.
— Oliver Gaffey Oswin, 61, of Barbados, who was arrested for strangulation or suffocation and assault and battery on a family member. He’s additionally been convicted of improper disposal of a human physique, obligatory insurance coverage violations, distributing or dishing out Class B medicine, and possession with intent to distribute Class B medicine.
— Fidel Ramirez-Hernandez, 21, of Guatemala, who was arrested for assault and battery.
— Peter Barrera-Perdomo, 54, of Colombia, who was arrested for shoplifting by asportation, which is a Laken Riley Act cost.
— Cristhofer Figuereo-Cuello, 22, of the Dominican Republic, who was arrested for assault and battery.
Mayor Wu’s workplace hit again at ICE in a press release.
“The Boston Police Department tracks and reports every civil detainer request received from ICE, as required by law,” metropolis spokesperson Emma Pettit stated. “BPD has repeatedly requested that ICE use a dedicated line for these purposes, and we have no way to confirm any communications not received by the department.
“We have also asked repeatedly over several years for the list of names that ICE is claiming, but have never been able to get those facts,” Pettit added. “Under state law, decisions on the release of arrested individuals are handled by the court system, not the police.”
BPD spokesperson Mariellen Burns equally stated in a press release, “In Massachusetts, only the bail commissioner or a court can authorize the release or the continued detention of an individual from custody. The Boston Police Department does not have authority to continue to detain that person once an individual posts bail or is transferred to the court.”
ICE disputed town’s detainer request reporting final yr as effectively. Cox reported police ignored 15 detainer requests in 2024, whereas ICE officers stated the precise quantity was 198.
The newest backwards and forwards continues the strain between federal authorities and the Wu administration over President Trump’s immigration crackdown and Boston’s sanctuary protections for unlawful immigrants.
Cox reported in January that his division ignored 57 ICE detainer requests final yr because of the Boston Trust Act.
“The City of Boston Trust Act prohibits a law enforcement official from detaining an individual solely on the basis of a civil immigration detainer request after the individual is eligible for release from custody,” Burns stated.
The 2014 legislation prohibits native cooperation with federal authorities on civil issues, however nonetheless permits for cooperation with ICE in felony issues like human trafficking, baby exploitation, drug and weapons trafficking, and cybercrimes, per metropolis officers.
Councilor Flynn reacted to ICE’s newest reporting, nevertheless, by repeating his name for Mayor Wu to launch data on detainer requests ignored by town.
“I believe we must have zero tolerance for any criminal activity in Boston, especially violent crime,” Flynn stated in a press release to the Herald. “Boston residents deserve to live in safe and healthy neighborhoods.
“It’s obvious there is a major discrepancy between the data provided by the City of Boston and federal law enforcement,” Flynn added. “We need to receive the relevant data and know the truth. I’m once again calling for the City of Boston to release this information.”
Flynn informed the Herald final week “some” of his “City Council colleagues were under political pressure from the mayor’s office to vote against releasing these documents to the public.”
Councilor Ben Weber, an ally of the mayor, stated final week he was voting towards Flynn’s request as a result of it was furthering a “false narrative” that sanctuary cities are unsafe, “and it’s because of our immigrants that they’re unsafe.”
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